DIY smear tests sound great – but a gynaecological exam could save your life

I used to share Emma Beddington’s dislike of smear tests and was further outraged to discover that here in Spain they are not performed in your local GP surgery (DIY smear tests are on their way? I’ll be first in the queue, 22 July). Instead I had to make an appointment with a gynaecologist in a hospital an hour’s drive away. It turned out that this huffed-about visit would save my life.

A smear test can’t diagnose ovarian cancer, but a good gynaecologist taking advantage of a smear appointment to perform an exam can. The doctor discovered a 13cm tumour on my right ovary. He immediately sent me for blood tests and made some referrals. Within two weeks of my smear, I found myself sitting opposite two onco-gynae surgeons – who operated on me a week later.

It is not an exaggeration to say that these doctors and that appointment for a smear test saved my life. It is now six years down the line from my surgery and subsequent chemotherapy, and I am cancer-free. If I had had the option to do a home test, I would almost certainly have done so and my cancer would not have been picked up. I was asymptomatic. Time in a consulting room with a professional is to be undervalued at our peril.
Mary Ryan
Asturias, Spain

• DIY smear tests are a great idea. As a wheelchair user who needs to use a hoist for transfers, I have been unable to access smear tests, despite regular invitations. My GP surgery doesn’t have a hoist and won’t do this as a home visit. When referred to the hospital, I was told that it was not appropriate for me to have taken a valuable gynae appointment just for a smear test. Having a DIY kit would be an excellent option. But would my care workers be happy to assist me to do it? Or would it be another option that is not accessible to all?
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• Several years ago, I was in the GP’s office, legs akimbo, waiting for a smear test when the nurse exclaimed: “Oh my God, you’ve got a huge ectropion!” Trust me, “Oh my God,” are not words you want to hear from someone peering between your thighs unless they are said in the throes of passion. What, I wondered, is up there? Apparently, cervical ectropion is a fairly common condition. The nurse suggested that the cells could be removed by freezing, at which point I had visions of her heading up there with some sort of light sabre and a welding mask. I’ve never left a GP surgery so fast in my life.
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